


After the Fall

by Picachuyou



Category: Owlboy (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Owlboy, Will add tags when they apply to what is currently in the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-09 00:24:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8868763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Picachuyou/pseuds/Picachuyou
Summary: Falling; Verb. To move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level.
Example: "Otus felt himself falling from the islands."





	

Otus felt far away. 

He found himself flickering between great gasps of pain to ragged breaths. His limbs felt like fire had engulfed them, yet at the same time he found himself unable to feel it at all.  It was a distant memory of pain that burned in his brain. 

His whole body was broken and bruised, worst than he'd even imagined, worse than even the last few times. It was like he was at death's doorstep and decided to kick open the door and delcare he was home.

The wind was whistling past his ears, great aches being violently overwhelmed as he struggled to open his eyes- the feeling of falling was a familiar sense after his adventures. Otus struggled to open his cape, his arms feeling like someone had replaced his bones with lead. He had to get them open- his instincts were roaring at him almost as loud as the wind. He had to, yet he found himself unable to muster up the energy to fight.

Otus found himself wondering if Geddy, Alphonse and Twig would be alright. Solus had his cape- but he couldn't possibly carry all three of them at once, and that was also taking into account he could move at all after...

Otus needed to get to land and use the teleporter as soon as he could- they couldn't possibly survive a fall such as this. He wouldn't be able to survive a fall like this.

Moving his arms stabbed needles into his brain, but he just had to throw his cape open, then he would be able to rest. He struggled again to open his eyes, the wind searing at them, demanding they close. Tears started to form. 

Otus could see the outcropping of the land that he had been exploring and adventuring through, from a distance, it looked serene and peaceful. But what they were laying on made him let out a meek chirp.

The islands were laying on top of the wide, expansive ocean he had been told about, the massive sea of blue stretching into the horizon. Sunshine sparkled against the water, the waves slowly becoming more and more detailed as he fell closer and closer. Sea foam bubbled and hissed as the roar of the waves grew louder.

Otus distinctively remembered that nowhere had he explored, had then ever been such a large and massive body of water that would require more then maybe some weak paddling. Because of this, Otus was naturally a pretty poor swimmer- the biggest thing he ever actually swam in was either a few pools of water during his exploring or a bathtub.

So Otus really couldn't swim.

Panic grabbed Otus and he found himself suddenly pushing out his wings despite his body yelling in protest. A cry echoed out of his throat as the shock of pain lanced up and down his spine until it reached into his brain and violently started tearing into it like a rabid animal. Otus tried to reach up to his skull, but found as he did so, it only made the pain worse.

He felt the owl cloak try to flap, to slow his decent ever so slightly, but he was moving way too fast, the wings snapping upwards as he continued to fall. He shook, gasping for breath as the pain and shock of his continued descent as his wings had failed him. He scrunched up his face, gritting his teeth as he let out a tiny, choking sound of pain and anguish. 

If he had a voice he would be screaming. He supposed what escaped his throat was close enough.

His eyes suddenly noticed movement below, he shakily turned his head down to see the trees of the land below swishing back and forth as they were pushed and pulled violently by the ocean they had landed in, the water rushing in and gulping up large chunks of land as they started to sink. 

The ocean was much deeper then Otus first realized, so much deeper that some of the islands were sinking under the ocean.

Panic.

Otus used what little of his will he had left to urge his owl cloak to aim towards the highest part of the land. In some sort of strange glide that occasionally caused his wings to fly upwards from the force of his descent, his cloak desperately turned, the wind as he approached attempting to snap his owl cloak up again and again. The small mountain that sat on top of the island was a clear director to where he should at least try to land if he didn't want to be gobbled up by the ocean below.

Faster and faster Otus continued to fall, but at least he could direct himself- despite every five minutes his cloak's wings would be thrown upwards as they struggled to handle the force of the winds. He kept struggling to keep himself calm as the water approached. It wasn't working. 

Otus was so close to the water he could taste it. It was horrible. The smell of the sea's salt was overwhelming, and permeated every sense of his being, making Otus's eyes start to water even more. He pulled his angle up more, trying to use his momentum to push himself towards the mountain so he wasn't sucked up in the ocean.

He was so close! Otus felt his feet skim against the waves as he just barely managed to pull himself up enough so that he didn't sink beneath the ocean's salty grasp. His wings flapped weakly, pulling himself up as he arched further into the sky, the momentum of his fall still carrying him forward as Otus struggled to fly to land, his flight staggered and meek. 

The land contained to be swallowed up by the ocean, the foam from the blue beast rising further and further up the island as it sank. The tops of trees peaked right over the troughs of waves before they too were pulled under. 

Otus felt his cape falter to the side, snapping him out of his lightheadedness as his leg went completely underwater. He let out a peep of shock before pushing himself up above the ocean. 

The island was so peaceful as it was consumed wholeheartedly by the ocean.

Otus flew towards the top of the island, the snowy tip slowly melting away as water poured down the sides of the mountain in rivers. It was like the mountain was crying in pain.

The mountain looked so far away, like he was looking down a long tunnel, and at the end sat the small tip of the mountain. The blurry edges of his vision started tearing into the tunnel, grabbing at pieces of his goal and chewing them up. Something thundered behind him, the sound of crashing and cracking grumbling out as he turned his head to see an island landing, creating large waves that reached up towards the sky with desperate claws. The ocean waves were taller this this tiny island as large chunks of the new island detached and flew up in the air from the force. The ocean water rained down in a heavy hiss, a large wave from the island heading right for Otus.

The wave slammed into Otus. He felt the salt water enter his mouth, he gasped, water entering his lungs as the salt made his eyes burn. 

Otus felt his eyelids flicker shut.

The water was all around him, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he couldn't fly. His arms flailed around uselessly as he felt himself being dragged against the bottom of the island, his arms clambering out to grab onto anything he could get his hands on-

"Somebody help Otus!"

The image of the others falling to their deaths snapped his eyes open. Otus found himself falling again, his eyes seeing double, blurry vision. He felt his back slam into the earth and he rolled from the force of the water dragging him. He let out a weak cry as bubbles escaped his mouth and his head lulled backwards. 

Otus found purchase on a root, grabbing onto it he held on for dear life as the wave started retreating back into the sea. His head burst from the surface as he choked up water, the salt making his throat burn. He was soaked head to toe, his owl cape pulling at his neck painfully as he felt his grip loosen and he fell on his back onto the mud. 

Otus took a moment to cough up water, his body shaking as he tried to expel it from his body. Meanwhile he also gasped for air, struggling between wanting to throw up and wanting to go to sleep.

Another wave suddenly reached out for Otus with foamy claws. It pushed him to get himself onto his elbows as he crawled further inland, exhaustion grabbing at his cape and pulling him into the ocean.

The others... they... 

Otus felt his arms ache, the pain he kept feeling turning into a dull hiss from it overwhelming his senses. He pulled up one wing of his cape, the teleporter sitting attached neatly against his side. 

He pressed the button, his eyes squeezing shut as he pushed himself up to his knees, breathing in and out as he tried to regain his sense of balance. He felt nausea rising up.

There was no pop. No crackle. No sound of teleportation at all.

Otus looked over the ancient device, brow creased as he pushed himself up, feeling the nausea grab at his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut, coughing out as he fell onto his hands and knees.

He wiped his mouth, pushing himself away from the bile's horrible stench as he looked back, watching as the waves seemed to have stop rising up the island and consuming it, seemingly full from it's meal. The tops of trees reaching up above the waves as they were drowned underneath the salty water, forever just a few inches away from freedom. Otus shook, pulling himself further inland in fear of becoming like one of those trees. 

He took the device off of his side, turning around so he was laying on his back. Mud caked him. Pressing it again, he glanced around, his eyes desperate. He pulled his cloak closer, resting his head against the earth as he waited several more moments.

Again, no noise.

Otus deeply frowned, then pressed the button twice.

The waves were a terrifying sound, but the lack of teleportation was even more horrifying. A noise he had gotten so used to that it was like watching your mouth open and no noise coming out.

Otus knocked the side of the device, trying to do what Geddy did to sometimes fix things. He then shook it, hoping it would somehow reconnect whatever had been disconnected inside... Or maybe disconnect what shouldn't be connected at all. Otus didn't really know how such ancient technology worked. 

Another press. Otus pushed himself so he was sitting, pulling his legs closer as he glanced around, biting his lip has he tired to remain calm.

Remain calm.

Otus tightened his grip on his legs, nausea once again rising as he shook. He rested his head against his knees, breathing in and out to keep himself from emptying the contents of his stomach.

Otus was alone.


End file.
